Work Group on Returning Non-Delinquent Youth

In August 2024, the Executive Committee approved the Work Group on Returning Non-Delinquent Youth which will be comprised of a diverse mix of ICJ personnel, ex officio members, and other key stakeholders. The Work Group is charged with reviewing related ICJ reports, conducting further analysis, and prioritizing strategies for addressing top concerns. The Work Group will conduct additional research on underlying issues and determine whether the issues would be best addressed by adaptive or technical solutions. The other standing committees will also play essential roles in improving responses to non-delinquent runaways.

Top concerns identified include:

  1. Lack of communication between state ICJ Offices about the circumstances in which the youth was located.
  2. Lack of understanding or alignment between ICJ Rules and child welfare agency requirements and practices.
  3. Lack of clarity about ICJ requirements related to pick-up and detention of runaways.

Read the full survey report: 2024 Returning Non-Delinquent Runaways  

View the Fact Sheet on ICJ Returns and Non-Delinquent Runaways


2025 - 26 Meeting Dates:

  • October 30, 2025 @ 2pm ET
  • November 13, 2025 @ 2pm ET
  • December 11, 2025 @ 2pm ET
  • January 8, 2026 @ 2pm ET
  • February 12, 2026 @ 2pm ET
  • March 12, 2026 @ 2pm ET
  • April 9, 2026 @ 2pm ET
  • May 14, 2026 @ 2pm ET
  • June 11, 2026 @ 2pm ET
  • July 9, 2026 @ 2pm ET

Chair

A. Roy Curtis

Commissioner, UNITY Coordinator, Alternate Regional Representative, Maine

Biography

Roy Curtis has been with the Maine Department of Corrections for 26 years after completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from the University of Southern Maine.  Roy Currently serves as a Regional Correctional Manager for Juvenile Field Services where he works closely with local Community Corrections Officers and Stakeholders covering 3 Counties.  Roy has served on Executive Committee for the Juvenile Restorative Justice Council, as well as the Department of Corrections Restorative Justice Committee.  Roy has been working within the Interstate Commission for Juveniles since 2018 and currently serves as the Deputy Compact Administrator and ICJ Commissioner for the State of Maine.  Over the past 5 years, Roy has worked to enhance the ICJ State Council as well as ICJ protocols within the Department of Corrections.  For the past two years, Roy has been part of the Technology Committee, most recently serving as Vice-Chair.  Previously, Roy served on the Rules Committee as well as the Unity User Acceptance Team.

Vice Chair

Caitlyn Bickford

Commissioner, Deputy Compact Administrator, UNITY Coordinator, New Hampshire

Biography

Caitlyn Bickford is the Commissioner and Deputy Compact Administrator for the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families Interstate Office.  Caitlyn began her career with NH DCYF in 2007 as a Child Protective Service Worker (CPSW) in a local district office, working closely with families with a substantiated finding of abuse or neglect in order to reunify children with their parents, or assisting the parents with maintaining their children in their home.  Caitlyn then worked as a Permanency CPSW, focusing on achieving sustainable permanency for children that were legally free for adoption.  From there, she was promoted to the position of Permanency Supervisor within that local office, where she supervised a staff of 6-8 workers, along with ensuring a sustained attention on permanency for all of the children within that local office.   After 4-years as a Supervisor, Caitlyn then accepted a position within NH DCYF’s State Office as the Deputy Compact Administrator for the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) in 2017.  At that time, ICJ was being managed by another position within State Office.  Caitlyn advocated for ICPC and ICJ to be under the same position given the similarities and unique crossover there often is, especially given Child Protection and Juvenile Justice are both within NH DCYF.  Caitlyn became the Commissioner and DCA for ICJ in 2018.  Her position continued to expand in 2018 with the addition of a specific home study unit responsible for completing all incoming ICPC Home Studies, which she supervises and oversees. Caitlyn’s position once again expanded when began overseeing the Human Trafficking program in 2020.  As the Interstate Programs Administrator of New Hampshire, Caitlyn oversees ICPC, ICJ and the Human Trafficking Program Specialist. 

Roster

First Name Last Name Commission Title Office Email User Profile
Sarah Abramczyk Deputy Director of Programs and Planning Alaska sarah.abramczyk@alaska.gov User Profile
Lisa Bjergaard Lisa Bjergaard Commissioner / Compact Administrator North Dakota docrndicj@nd.gov User Profile
Trissie Casanova Trissie Casanova Designee / Deputy Compact Administrator Vermont patricia.casanova@vermont.gov User Profile
Mike Casey Francis Casey Commissioner Delaware Francis.Casey@delaware.gov User Profile
Corrie Copeland Corrie Copeland Commissioner / Deputy Compact Administrator Tennessee ICJ@tn.gov User Profile
Jean Hall Commissioner / Compact Administrator Florida interstatecompact2@fldjj.gov User Profile
Stephen Horton Stephen Horton Commissioner North Carolina stephen.horton@ncdps.gov User Profile
Sherry Jones Sherry Jones Commissioner / Deputy Compact Administrator Maryland sherry.jones@maryland.gov User Profile
Chris Newlin Chris Newlin Ex Officio - National Children's Advocacy Center Alabama cnewlin@nationalcac.org User Profile
Linda Nieles Senior Associate Counsel - TN Dept of Children's Services Tennessee User Profile
Christine Norris Christine Norris Designee/ Deputy Compact Administrator: Cases M - Z Delaware Christine.Norris@delaware.gov User Profile
Travis Patten Ex Officio - National Sheriffs Association Mississippi User Profile
Kathleen Quigley Ex Officio - National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Arizona User Profile
Megan Riker-Rheinschild Ex Officio - Victims Representative California mriker@countyofsb.org User Profile
Juan Sepulveda Ex Officio - National Partnership for Juvenile Services Alabama sepulvedaj@jccal.org User Profile
Melissa Snow National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Virginia User Profile
Jessica Stefenack Staff - ICJ Coordinator Virginia Jessica.Stefenack@djj.virginia.gov User Profile
Jessica Wald Jessica Wald Deputy Compact Administrator / Designee North Dakota docrndicj@nd.gov User Profile
Amanda Whitlock Ex Officio - National Runaway Safeline Illinois User Profile
Liz Wilson Liz Wilson Staff - ICJ Specialist Kansas KDOC_Kansas_ICJ@ks.gov User Profile